The Russian Sukhoi SU-27 : $5M Buys the Ride of Your Life

The Russian Sukhoi SU-27 has a top speed of Mach 1.8 (more than 1,300 mph) and a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than 1:1. In other words, it can accelerate while climbing straight up. It was designed to fight the best the United States had to offer, and it can be yours for the cost of a mediocre used business jet.
Last week, we told you about a cool DIY jet. If you like the idea of a jet but not the thought of doing it yourself, John Morgan has you covered. He’s got a pair of beautifully restored Sukhoi SU-27 Flanker jets. They’re first-rate pieces of Soviet-era hardware designed to go head-to-head with the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. They’re for sale, joining a very elite group of former military fighter jets offered for private ownership in the United States.
If you’ve always dreamed of being a fighter pilot, but missed your chance at the military route, this might be your chance to become a Top Gunski without having to deal with the Iceman trying to steal the limelight. Never flown a jet? No problem.

“We have a training program for any prospective owner” Morgan says.

Sukhoi SU-27 during takeoff

The SU-27 was one of the Soviet Union’s premier Cold War weapons. The same SU-27UB model Morgan’s offering for sale was flown by the Russian Knights, the Soviet’s closest equivalent to the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.
Morgan’s team at Pride Aircraft has “zero timed” the airframe and engine, so you’re getting an aircraft that’s just like new. Theses birds have been modernized with Western instrumentation, radios and GPS. Both are fully IFR equipped with U.S. avionics.
Nothing currently on the aircraft market comes close to these airplanes. Several companies talk about how their aircraft feel like a fighter jet or offer fighter jet-like performance. But it’s not very often you can actually buy a fighter jet.
Oh sure, there are a handful of former U.S. supersonic trainer jets like the Northrup T-38 out there, and the Douglas A-4 or MiG 21 fighters are impressive by any measure. But few, if any, airplanes come close to one of the best fighter jets made during the Cold War.

First flight of Pride Aircraft's SU-27

Morgan got started in the aviation business restoring North American Aviation T-28’s, an old American trainer used at the dawn of the jet age. After several years of success in the piston market, Morgan grew curious about some of the former Soviet Bloc jet trainers that started appearing after the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s.
For the last 10 years, Morgan has built his reputation importing, restoring and selling Aero Vodochody L-39s, a small primary jet trainer used throughout the Eastern Bloc.
“One of our L-39 customers liked what we did and asked us to manage the Sukhoi project,” Morgan said.
The pair of SU-27s were purchased for a company that needed to do some high-altitude research (the jets can reach 57,000 feet). “They needed a platform that could carry sophisticated technology to high altitude,” Morgan says.
But the company went bust and the project faltered. Morgan decided to finish restoring the jets and put them up for sale. “We’re in the final stages in getting the last one licensed,” he says.

SU-27 landing with speed brake deployed

The jets are the “UB” variant of the SU-27, never intended for combat, so they aren’t fitted with weapons. But all the performance is still there. Morgan has a pair of former Air Force fighter pilots flight testing them. His chief pilot is a former F-15 jockey, and he says the SU-27 is remarkably similar to the F-15 Eagle (video of his first flight below). Though according to Morgan, the pilot says you get the impression you’re definitely pushing a bigger airplane through the sky.
But who’s going to spend $5 million on a Russian fighter jet?
It’s definitely not for everybody, but if pure performance and excitement is what you’re after for, look no further. When it comes to sheer bang-for-the-buck, the SU-27 is tough to beat, says Tom Haines, editor in chief of Pilot magazine, published by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
“For what you get from a performance standpoint, and a thrill standpoint, it’s a great value,” Haines says. “Now, putting gas in them is another story.”
There’s always a catch, isn’t there?

The $5 million price tag is only the beginning. Even if you’re flying around without the afterburners lit, the Flanker burns 1,000 to 1,200 gallons per hour. With Jet A currently selling for $4 to $5 a gallon, this isn’t a cheap thrill. We won’t even go into the potential maintenance costs.
As for the training you might need if you want to own and fly the SU-27? Morgan recommends some jet experience before starting the training. Of course, his pilots are happy to teach you in an L-39, much the same way the original pilots of the Sukhoi fighter gained experience back at the peak of the Cold War.

Read More: http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/01/own-the-coolest-jet-on-your-block/#ixzz0cvJ7KeCv